New Legislation Rolls Out Across All Verticals
Belgium’s Gaming Commission (BGC) is not messing about when it comes to responsible gambling, which is why new legislation has been set to cap the amount players can spend to just €200 (£171/$204) a week. The bold new rules will come into force on October 20th this year.
The Royal Decree, published in the Belgian Official Gazette, also sets out provisions for players to request a higher deposit limit than the one stated, but before the request is permitted, the operator must go through a lengthy process of first notifying the BGC whose job it is to check the national Bank of Belgium to see if the player requesting to deposit larger sums, is listed in the Central Individual Credit Register of the National Bank of Belgium. If the customer is in default of payment, the request will be denied.
So, How Will it Work?
Each weekly deposit limit will be based on the last week of activity, but no single person may be permitted to deposit more than the amounts stated unless they have been verified as being able to afford the new changes. This process is similar to the KYC/SOF process in the UK only with a lot more scrutiny.
Players not listed as being in default of payment will be removed from the deposit limit list within 3-days and are then able to deposit with an unlimited setting. Unfortunately, the planned steps for the deposit limit increase are just that – planned, with no able means to implement them as of yet.
Those who have the deposit limit lifted will continue to be monitored and should they be flagged, the €200 (£171/$204) weekly limit will be reinstated. A request for a lower deposit limit will be actioned instantly. Who does the new gambling weekly limit affect? Online bingo players as well as online casino, sports betting, and gambling in general.
“In order not to risk becoming a problematic gambler and to keep the game fun, it is recommended not to spend more than 5% of your income for this purpose,” the regulator said. “If you win €2,000, this means that your deposit limit should not exceed €25 per week.”
“The intent of the gaming limit is to help protect players from excessive wasting money and gambling addiction risks,” the decree said. “An increase in the playing limit can therefore only take place after it has effectively been established that the player is not registered as a defaulter.”
In May, the Belgian government announced there would be further changes to come, with a blanket ban on all forms of gambling advertising in the country. There was one exception – advertisements for the national lottery.
Source: “Belgium to Introduce €200 Weekly Deposit Limit”. iGaming Business. July 21, 2022.
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Comments (1)
HulioSas 07/21/22, 02:07:40 PM
I can see other countries following suit, possibly even the UK. Putting deposit limit choices in the hands of players would only mean those with a problem don’t make use of them. Kind of spoils it for the rest of us.
